Container for mixing liquid with a material

ABSTRACT

A container having material in solid form into which a liquid is to be added to dissolve the material and produce a liquid preparation such as a beverage. The container has an opening in its bottom which is sealed and the solid material is located in the bottom of the container sealed off to the atmosphere by a member of dissolvable material. A liquid is poured into the open top of the container to dissolve both the member and the material. The top is then covered and the container is inverted. The seal is removed from the opening in the bottom wall and the mixed contents of the container withdrawn through this opening.

United States Patent Spencer Oct. 28, 1975 [5 1 CONTAINER FOR MIXINGLIQUID WITH A 3,157,312 11/1964 Kitterman 222/541 MATERIAL 3,186,8501/1965 Anthony 3,326,363 6/1967 Bennett et a1. 220/23 1 InventorlRichard Hugh p 3601 3,655,111 4/1972 Surerus 229 7 R Turtle Creek,Dallas, Tex. 75219 22 Ffl d: Jam 24 1974 Primary Examiner-William T.Dixson, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmDarby & Darby [2]] Appl. No.:436,169

[57] ABSTRACT [52] Cl 206/217; 220/902; 229/7 R A container havingmaterial in solid form into which a [51] III!- CLZ B65D 81/32 liquid isto be added to dissolve the material and [58] held of Search 206/219229/7 duce a liquid preparation such as a beverage. The con- 229/43;902; tainer has an opening in its bottom which is sealed and 426/86;222/541 the solid material is located in the bottom of the containersealed off to the atmosphere by a member of [56] References C'teddissolvable material. A liquid is poured into the open UNITED STATESPATENTS top of the container to dissolve both the member and 712,095 101902 Reed 220/1 E h material. The top is then covered and the con-1,885,757 11/1932 Orlopp 206/217 tainer is inverted. These-a1 is removedfrom the open- 2,062,897 12/1936 Michel et a1. 426/86 in the bottom walland the mixed Contents of the 2,165,860 7/1939 Killmeyer 222/541container withdrawn through this opening. 2,201,332 5/1940 Bensel 1229/43 2,967,776 1/1961 Utler 206/5 21 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures3,100,592 8/1963 Orr 222/541 US. Patent Oct. 28, 1975 Sheet 1 of33,915,296

US. Patent Oct. 28 1975 Sheet2 of 3,915,296

US. Patent Oct.28, 1975 Sheet30f3 3,915,296

FIG. 10

CONTAINER FOR MIXING LIQUID WITH A 1 MATERIAL This invention relates tocontainers and more particularly to containers of the type holdingmaterial in solid form into which fluid is added to form a liquidpreparation. Such containers are useful for making beverages, such ascoffee, tea and soup, and also for mixing pharmaceutical products.

Containers of this general type are known in the art in which a materialin a solid form to be mixed with a liquid is located'in the bottom ofthe container and then sealed with a cover. For example, US. Pat. Nos.3,407,922 to Palmer and 1,709,168 to Eppenson, describe containers inwhich the cover is of cardboard or paper and it is removed by pulling ona tab which is accessible from the open top of the'container. In thecontainers of these patents, and other similar prior art, after thecover for the material is removed and the liquid is added, it is usuallynecessary to stir the contents of the container to dissolve the solidmaterial. The mixed preparation is then extracted through the containersopen top. Usually, the open top is of relatively wide diameter making itcomparitively easy for the mixed preparation to spill out where thecontainer is used in moving vehicles, such as aircraft, cars, trains andbuses. Further, the prior art containers generally have a bottom ofsmaller diameter than the top. This also makes the container susceptibleto tipping over when used in moving vehicles.

The present invention relates to a novel and improved container of thetype holding solid material which is to be dissolved upon the additionof a liquid and which does not require the removal of a paper orcardboard type seal to expose the material to be dissolved. Further, anarrangement is provided wherein the mixed contents are taken out of thebottom of the container instead of the top.

In accordance with the invention, the material is located in the bottomportion of the container and held by a member. An opening is formed inthe bottom of the container and this opening is closed off by a sealwhich can be taken off. A lid is also provided and, in use, liquid ispoured into the container through its open top which is then sealed bythe lid. The liquid in the container dissolves the material and thecontainer is inverted. After the container is inverted, the seal on thebottom wall is removed to expose the opening and the mixed contents areextracted through the opening. The container can now be rested on thelid which can be constructed to provide a firm base. Since the openingat the bottom of the container is preferably made small, the containercontents are prevented from spilling out if the container is moved.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novelcontainer holding material which is to be mixed with a liquid with thecontents of the container being extracted through an opening in thebottom of the container after the top has been covered with a lid.

Another object is to provide a container holding material to be mixedwith a liquid in which the mixing can take place without the use of amixing implement.

A further object is to provide a container in which the material to bemixed is held adjacent the container bottom wall by a soluble sealingmembrane.

Yet another object is to provide a container having an opening in itsbottom wall which is sealed, the container being provided with a lidwhich permits it to be inverted and the contents extracted through theopening in the bottom wall after the seal has been removed.

A further object is to provide a container which can be rested in aninverted position on its lid and the contents extracted through anopening in the bottom wall.

Other objects andadvantages of the present invention will become moreapparent upon reference to the following specification and annexeddrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view, in cross-section, of the container and lidaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1A is a view of another type of member for holding the dissolvablematerial;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view in cross-section showing the lid assembledto the container;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view in cross-section showing the containerinverted;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the container showing the seal;

FIG. 5 shows the container in drinking position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a further embodiment of acontainer according to the invention;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view in cross-section showing the container ofFIG. 6 with its lid assembled;

FIG. 8 shows the container of FIG. 6 in the inverted position and thebottom wall seal member removed;

FIG. 9 is a view showing the stacking of several containers; and

FIG. 10 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section showing thecontainer stacked on a serving plate.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 5, the container 10 of the preferredembodiment of the invention is generally barrel-shaped having an upperend 14 which tapers down to a narrow bottom portion terminating in abottom wall 12. The containers upper end 14 is preferably of greaterdiameter than the bottom wall 12.

A locking rib 16 is formed around the upper end 14. The locking ribtapers from a minimum to a maximum thickness going toward the bottom ofthe container. If desired, the bottom wall 17 of locking rib 16 can beundercut to provide a more secure lock for a lid.

A step 18 is formed around the interior of the container wall at a pointabove bottom wall 12. Step 18 serves two functions. First, it provides astacking lug, or platform, so that a number of containers 10 can bestacked, or nested, one above the other. The stacking arrangement isconventional. Second, the step 18 provides an area for peripheralsealing of a disc 20. This is described in detail below.

The container 10 can be made of any suitable material, for example,plastic which is either injectionmolded, blow-molded, or therrnoformed.Any conventional type of solid, foamed or cellular plastic material canbe used.

An opening 24 is formed in the container bottom wall 12. This can bedone during or after the molding of the container. As seen in FIG. 4,the opening 24 is generally oval, or elliptical, in shape and is spacedinwardly from the peripheral edge of the bottom wall. The opening 24 iscovered by a seal 26 which can be made of any suitable material, suchas, for example paper, metal foil, plastic, etc. The seal 26 is attachedto the bottom wall by any suitable adhesive, preferably one which isapproved for use with foods. A tab 27 extends from the seal. The tab 27preferably clears the outer edge of bottom wall 12 as shown in FIGS. 1and 2.

The material 30 which is to be dissolved is located in the bottom of thecontainer and sealed therein by the disc 20. The dissolvable material 30can be of any suitable type, for example, instant tea, instant coffee,boullion, soup, sugar, cream, etc., or any combination thereofv Also,pharmaceutical products can be used. The various material can be intheir normal forms or they can be micro-encapsulated as is known in theart. The material 30 can be in loose or cake form.

The sealing disc is preferably made of a food material which willdissolve when a liquid is placed in the container. A suitable materialis, for example, a starch base material sold under the name EDIFLEXwhich is manufactured by the American Maize-Products Company, of NewYork, New York 10017. This material is a soluble, edible and digestiblefilm made from high amylose corn starch. Other suitable materials can beused. This material is shaped, such as by cutting it into a disc, and issealed to the step 18 by a combination of liquid, pressure and heat.That is, the periphery of the disc, or the step 18, is moistened. Thedisc is placed on the step and heat and pressure is applied. Theperipheral portion of the disc to which the heat is applied fuses to thestep 18. This can be done by automatic packaging machinery. As analternative to the type of sealing discussed above, where the solublematerial forming the disc 20 has sufficient strength to give adequaterigidity, the disc can be friction fitted within the container.

A lid 34 for the container is of a complementary shape to the containertop 14. The lid has a central bellows portion 35 in its top wall whichextends downwardly in a generally concave shape from a peripheral ring39. A skirt wall 36 extends downwardly from the outer edge of ring 39and has a reverse bent leg 37 from which extends a locking rim 38. Asseen in FIG. 5, the height of the skirt wall 36 is made large enough toaccommodate one finger of the holder when the cup is in use. The lockingrim 38 terminates in an inwardly extending lip 41. The lid is preferablymade of plastic by any suitable process such as molding or thermoformmg.

When the lid 34 is placed over the open top end 14 of the container, thesealing rim 38 snaps over the rib 16 on the container and the lip 41locks under the rib bottom wall 17 to form a first sealing area on theoutside of the container. The sealing rim 38 also has an upper channelmember 380 which includes a part of the reverse bent leg 37. As seen inFIG. 2, the upper wall of the channel 38a engages the top edge of thecontainer while the channel side walls engage the inner and outer wallsof the container at its top and holds the container material undercompression in a pinching manner. When fully fastened to the container,the lid sealing rim 38 conforms to the shape of the container rib 16 andthere are no projections extending outwardly from the lid. This forms afluid tight seal for liquid in the container.

The bottom of the concave bellows 35 terminates below the channel 38a ofthe lid locking rim 38 so that the bellows bottom would normally extendbelow the top edge of the container into its interior.

In use, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid bellows 35 expands outwardly to aconvex shape when the lid is fastened to the container due to the aircaptured in the container between the top surface of the liquid and thelower surface of the bellows. In its expanded state the bellows 35terminates below the ring 39 on the top of the lid so that the invertedcontainer can be rested on the ring 39. The bellows 35 also gives avisible signal that the lid has been properly placed on the container.That is, if the bellows does not change its shape from concave toconvex, the user will know that the lid is not fully fastened down.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 depict the use of the container. Liquid is poured inthrough the open top 14 and it dissolves the sealing disc 20 and alsoinfuses with the material 30. The lid 34 is then applied, as shown inFIG. 2, and the bellows changes to a convex shape. The container is nowsealed both on the top and bottom. Therefore, mixing of the containercontents can take place by shaking the container or, by inverting it oneor more times. When it is desired to remove the liquid into which thematerial 30 is now infused, the container is eather held in the invertedposition or set down on the ring 39 of the lid. The user pulls on thetab 27 of the seal 26 to either take it off entirely or to peel it backsufficiently to expose all or a portion of the opening 24. The seal 26provides a sanitary advantage in that the opening 24 is always covereduntil the seal is removed.

The user extracts the contents of the container, as shown in FIG. 5, bydrinking through the opening 24. The spacing of the opening 24 withrespect to the container side wall is made such that the mouth and noseof the user can be accommodated when the container is held in a drinkingposition.

The contents of the container also can be extracted by a straw. Ifdesired, a part of the seal 26 can be weakened so that a straw can beinserted through it without taking off the entire seal. This furtheraids in keeping contaminants out of the liquid and, also, retardsspilling. As Shown in FIG. 5, the tapered container side wall permitsthe nose of the user to clear the bottom wall. 0,

When the container is in use and the seal 26 has been peeled off, thecontainer, with the contents therein, can be rested on the rim 39 of thelid to provide a stable surface for the container and its contents. Onlythe relatively small opening 24 is now present so that even if thecontainer is jostled in a manner such that the liquid will slosh around,it will be very difficult for any of the contents to come out throughthe opening 24. In addition to its self-mixing feature for the material30, the mechanical arrangement described above makes the containerparticularly useful in applications where there is movement, forexample, trains, aircraft, cars and buses.

The material 30 can be packed and contained in the same manner aspreviously described but using a perforated shield, which stays rigidlyfixed in place of the soluble disc 20. The shield 20a, as shown in FIG.1A is of foraminous material and is flat, at least semi-rigid in form.It is made of metal, plastic or woven wire, all with non-toxicproperties wherein the holes in the member are of lesser size than thegranular or crystaline materials 30 that are restrained by it.

The liquid to be mixed with the dissolvable material 30 passes freelythrough the perforated disc thereby causing the crystaline or granulardissolvable material to change its substance and flow freely back intothe main body of the container. The shield can be pressed flat orotherwise adhered to the container.

The perforations or weave of the shield a are such as to permit themixed fluid to pass freely through it at a rate greater than the speedof consumption by the drinker.

FIGS. 68 show a further embodiment of the invention. Here, instead ofpacking the material to be mixed directly in contact with the bottomwall of a container 58, a thimble type device 60 is used. The thimble 60is made of a non-toxic material acceptable for food use. The thimble hasa flanged wall 62 at the bottom of a generally cylindrical wall 64within which the material is located. The top of the cylinder 64 issealed off by a disc 66 which can be of the same material as the disc 20previously described. It is also possible for the entire thimble to bemade of the same material. The cylinder 64 extends in through theopening 68 in the container bottom wall 12. The opening 68 conforms tothe shape of wall 64. Adhesive is preferably located on the flangedportion of bottom wall 62 to secure the thimble to the bottom wall.

I In the embodiment of FIGS. 6-8 a step, such as 18 of FIG. 1, is notprovided on the inner wall of container 58. Stacking of the containersis accomplished merely by nesting the containers one within the other. Abead 59 is formed around the upper end of the containers side wall tohold a lid.

A lid 70 is provided which has a flat top wall 71 from which depends askirt wall 72. A reverse bent sealing lip 74 terminates the skirt wall.Lip 74 is designed to snap over the sealing bead 59.

The use of the container 58 is depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8. Liquid ispoured into the open top of the container dissolving the seal 66 so thatthe material 30 is mixed with the liquid. A shield of the type 20adiscussed previously, also can be used. The lid 70 is fastened over theopen top of the container which then can be shaken or inverted severaltimes to completely mix the fluid and the material. After the mixing hastaken place, the thimble 60 is pulled out of the opening 68 so that thecontents may be extracted therethrough. As before, the top wall 71 oflid 72 provides a stable surface for standing the container while it isinverted.

FIG. 9 shows another form of lid 70a for the container having adepressed center section 71a. The depressed section 71a corresponds tothe shape of the bottom of the container so that containers can bestacked one on top of the other. As the angle of the bottom of thecontainer is increassed, that is, the container is made shorter, it willfit further into the lid. The lid is shaped accordingly. This permitsmore containers to be stacked in a smaller space. The containers can bestacked after filling but before drinking.

The container of FIGS. 6 8 has the same advantages as that of FIGS. l-S.Both containers are relatively strong, are easy to hold due to theirshape and provide rapid preparation of any beverage or other preparationusing pre-measured quantities of material. Supplements can be added toany of the beverages produced, i.e., additional sugar, cream, etc. Thecontainers are compatible for use with vending machines and reduce thecost of mechanisms for these machines since the beverage materials arealready in the container. The containers are advantageously used inapplications where there is movement or in other situations such as inhospitals where the relatively small opening at the bottom of thecontainer reduces the possibility of spillage. The opening at the bottomof the container also effectively strains ice'and slush and prevents itfrom enteringthe mouth where a cold beverage is mixed.

FIG. 10 shows the container of the subject invention used in combinationwith a serving member, such as a plate or tray, 80, which can be of anysize or shape. The serving member 80 is preferably made'of plasticmaterial by any suitable process, for example, molding or thermoforming,and includes a projection 82 of complementary shape to the depression inthe lid. The projection 82 is illustratively shown of a shapecomplementary to the lid depression 71a of the container of FIG. 9. Itshould be understood, of course, that the projection can be madecomplementary to the shape oftlie lid of FIGS. 1-4. The projection 82need not extend all of the way up into the lid depression. Also, it canbe segmented or itself have a depressed central portion. After thecontents of the container have been mixed, the container is placed onthe projection 82 as shown in FIG. 10 and it interlocks with theprojection. The serving member 80 can hold any suitable articles such asfood. The interlocking of the lid to the projection provides a very highdegree of stability to the container since its base is now effectivelythe entire serving member. The container can be readily removed from andreplaced onto the projection on the serving member.

What is claimed is: v 1. In combination a container having a generallycircular bottom wall and a side wall tapering upwardly from said bottomwall, the upper edge of said side wall defining a normally opengenerally circular top for the container and having a larger diameterthan the bottom wall, a lid for engaging said side wall and sealing saidopen top of the container, an opening formed in said bottom wall throughwhich the contents of the inverted container can be extracted, andseparate seal means attached to said bottom wall for covering saidopening in said bottom wall and removable from said wall to uncover saidopening.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said lid has a central bellowsportion which is generally concave, the lower end of said concavebellows extending below the upper edge of the container side wall whenthe lid is sealed to the container to trap air between the interior ofthe container and the bellows causing the bellows to assume a convexshape.

3. The combination of claim 2 further comprising a locking rib formed onthe outer wall of the container upper edge and tapering from a minimumto a maximum thickness from the top edge toward the container bottomwall and terminating on a wall at the lower end of said rib which isgenerally transverse to said container side wall, and a locking rimformed on the periphery of said lid of a shape complementary to saidcontainer locking rib and having an inwardly extending lip which extendsunder the wall of said locking rib.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said locking rim of said lidfurther comprises a channel having inner and outer walls defining aspace therebetween, said inner and outer walls of said channelrespectively engaging the inner and outer faces of the upper edge of thecontainer side wall.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the opening in the bottom wall isof generally oval shape.

6. The combination of claim 1 where said lid includes means on the topwall thereof to rest the container on a surface in an inverted position.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lid is formed with a depressedcentral top section adapted to accommodate and hold the bottom ofanother container for stacking.

8. The combination of claim 1 wherein the lid is formed with a depressedarea in its top and further comprising a member separate from said lidand said container and having a projection extending therefrom overwhich the lid fits.

9. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a foraminous member forholding a quantity of liquid dissolvable material within the container.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the openings of the foraminousmember are generally smaller than the size of the particles of thedissolvable material.

11. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a quantity of materialwithin said container which is to be dissolved upon the addition ofliquid into the container through said open top, and means which aredissolvable by said liquid for sealing the cross-sectional area withinwhich said dissolvable material is located.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said sealing means extendsacross the cross-section of the interior of the container.

13. The combination of claim 12 further comprising a step on theinterior of the side wall of the container, the sealing means beingsealed to said step.

14. The combination of claim 11 further comprising a housing separatefrom said container within which the material is located, said housinghaving an open top and said sealing means sealing said open top, saidhousing fitting within the opening of the container bottom wall.

15. In combination a container having a bottom wall and a side wallextending upwardly from said bottom wall having an upper edge forming anormally open top for the container through which liquid can be placedinto the container, a quantity of a liquid dissolvable material withinsaid container, a lid for covering the open top of the container topermit the material to be dissolved by the liquid and mixed when thecontainer is inverted, an opening formed in the container bottom wallthrough which the liquid and dissolved material can be extracted, andremovable means for sealing said bottom wall opening.

16. The combination of claim 15 further comprising liquid dissolvablemeans in said container for holding the dissolvable material.

17. The combination of claim 16 wherein said dissolvable means forholding the material covers a complete cross-section of the interior ofthe container.

18. The combination of claim 17 further comprising a step on theinterior of the container side wall, said dissolvable means being sealedto said step.

19. The combination of claim 15 further comprising means on said sealingmeans for holding said dissolvable material.

20. The combination of claim 19 wherein said means for holding thematerial comprises a housing which extends through the opening in thebottom wall of the container and can be withdrawing therefrom, saidhousing having an open top section when within said container, and adissolvable member sealing said open top section.

21. The combination of claim 20 wherein said housing includes means forsealing the opening in the bottomwall.

1. In combination a container having a generally circular bottom walland a side wall tapering upwardly from said bottom wall, the upper edgeof said side wall defining a normally open generally circular top forthe container and having a larger diameter than the bottom wall, a lidfor engaging said side wall and sealing said open top of the container,an opening formed in said bottom wall through which the contents of theinverted container can be extracted, and separate seal means attached tosaid bottom wall for covering said opening in said bottom wall andremovable from said wall to uncover said opening.
 2. The combination ofclaim 1 wherein said lid has a central bellows portion which isgenerally concave, the lower end of said concave bellows extending belowthe upper edge of the container side wall when the lid is sealed to thecontainer to trap air between the interior of the container and thebellows causing the bellows to assume a convex shape.
 3. The combinationof claim 2 further comprising a locking rib formed on the outer wall ofthe container upper edge and tapering from a minimum to a maximumthickness from the top edge toward the container bottom wall andterminating on a wall at the lower end of said rib which is generallytransverse to said container side wall, and a locking rim formed on theperiphery of said lid of a shape complementary to said container lockingrib and having an inwardly extending lip which extends under the wall ofsaid locking rib.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said locking rimof said lid further comprises a channel having inner and outer wallsdefining a space therebetween, said inner and outer walls of saidchannel respectively engaging the inner and outer faces of the upperedge of the container side wall.
 5. The combination of claim 1 whereinthe opening in the bottom wall is of generally oval shape.
 6. Thecombination of claim 1 where said lid includes means on the top wallthereof to rest the container on a surface in an inverted position. 7.The combination of claim 1 wherein the lid is formed with a depressedcentral top section adapted to accommodate and hold the bottom ofanother container for stacking.
 8. The combination of claim 1 whereinthe lid is formed with a depressed area in its top and furthercomprising a member separate from said lid and said container and havinga projection extending therefrom over which the lid fits.
 9. Thecombination of claim 1 further comprising a foraminous member forholding a quantity of liquid dissolvable material within the container.10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the openings of the foraminousmember are generally smaller than the size of the particles of thedissolvable material.
 11. The combination of claim 1 further comprisinga quantity of material within said container which is to be dissolvedupon the addition of liquid into the container through said open top,and means which are dissolvable by said liquid for sealing thecross-sectional area within which said dissolvable material is located.12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said sealing means extendsacross the cross-section of the interior of the container.
 13. Thecombination of claim 12 further comprising a step on the interior of theside wall of the container, the sealing means being sealed to said step.14. The combination of claim 11 further comprising a housing separatefrom said container within which the material is located, said housinghaving an open top and said sealing means sealing said open top, saidhousing fitting within the opening of the container bottom wall.
 15. Incombination a container having a bottom wall and a side wall extendingupwardly from said bottom wall having an upper edge forming a normallyopen top for the container through which liquid cAn be placed into thecontainer, a quantity of a liquid dissolvable material within saidcontainer, a lid for covering the open top of the container to permitthe material to be dissolved by the liquid and mixed when the containeris inverted, an opening formed in the container bottom wall throughwhich the liquid and dissolved material can be extracted, and removablemeans for sealing said bottom wall opening.
 16. The combination of claim15 further comprising liquid dissolvable means in said container forholding the dissolvable material.
 17. The combination of claim 16wherein said dissolvable means for holding the material covers acomplete cross-section of the interior of the container.
 18. Thecombination of claim 17 further comprising a step on the interior of thecontainer side wall, said dissolvable means being sealed to said step.19. The combination of claim 15 further comprising means on said sealingmeans for holding said dissolvable material.
 20. The combination ofclaim 19 wherein said means for holding the material comprises a housingwhich extends through the opening in the bottom wall of the containerand can be withdrawing therefrom, said housing having an open topsection when within said container, and a dissolvable member sealingsaid open top section.
 21. The combination of claim 20 wherein saidhousing includes means for sealing the opening in the bottom wall.